Wells: small yet entertaining

• Trail of The 49ers Interpertive Center (seasonal hours)
• Chimney Rock Municipal Golf Course
• Angle Lake Scenic By Way
• Californial Trail Scenic By Way (located 15 miles north on 93)
• City Park, great shade with playgrounds, ball fields and BBQ pavilion
• City Pool Open Year Round (starting fall 2012)
• Wells Fun Run Car Show and Shine, last full weekend in July
• Race to the Angel 1/2 Marathon, ride your bike, walk or run, Second weekend in September

12 miles from town, features two USFS campgrounds. Angel Lake features great views, fishing, and swimming with lake side picnic tables. Trails to other mountain lakes start from the Angel Lake parking lot. Horse trailhead parking.

Covered pavilion BBQ area, playground, ball parks and soccer fields. Pavilion can be reserved for family reunions and other events by contacting the City of Wells 775 752 3355.

At the headwaters of the South Fork of the Humboldt River, emigrants picked up the river they would follow for the next 30 days or so. The wetlands and the ruts of the California Trail descending to the Humboldt Wells are still visible. Stop in at the Trail of the 49ers Interpretive Center at 436 6th Street to get more information and visit the gift shop for great books, maps, and trail and visitor information.

Soon after cattle-king Colonel E.P. Hardesty sold his U7 ranch northwest of Wells, the so-called Pacific Reclamation Company bought land, and in 1911 advertised what they promised would be a planned community of 7,500. A four-block business district with concrete sidewalks and street lights sprang up and the railroad laid track to the booming town. The grandest three-story hotel between Reno and Salt Lake City opened, followed by the brick high school.

Pacific Reclamation sold its land, but water rights were not secured, so Metropolis withered. Today, sagebrush stands higher than most of the ruins, exceptions being the graveyard, the arch and what remains of the high school, an above-ground concrete vault rearing up from hotel ruins, and a monument to mark the passing of hard-working pioneers doomed to see their dreams evaporate into the high desert air.

A soon-to-be-marked ATV recreational trail system connects 135-year-old mining roads winding through five ghost towns and by several historic mines accessible by turning east off US Highway 93 approximately 38 miles south of Wells.

An old west enthusiast's dream, Spruce Mountain is literally covered with mine remains including ore sorter towers, ore cars, rusty smelters, mine shaft air pumps, water systems, and log cabins of all types. Miners found ways to haul huge boilers and machinery up to the seven and eight thousand foot levels with sixteen-mule teams. It is one of the best ATV rides in the State of Nevada. Please leave it as you found it, don't take any artifacts.

Wells and its hunter/fisher friendly businesses are close to northeastern Nevada hunting areas. You can stay in a Wells motel and day hunt some of the most productive deer, antelope, and elk populations in the state. There are several streams and lakes for fishing within a 40-mile drive of Wells. Ruby Marsh is 79 miles south of Wells with its world famous bird watching and bass fishing.

The 9-hole Chimney Rock Municipal Golf Course in Wells, Nevada, is a public golf course that opened in 1976. Designed by Jack Snyder, Chimney Rock Municipal Golf Course measures 3,064 yards from the longest tees and has a slope rating of 101 and a 33.9 USGA rating. The course features 2 sets of tees for different skill levels. Open 3/15 - 11/15, call 775-752-3928 for more information.